Katee Sackhoff

Kathryn Ann Sackhoff (born April 8, 1980 in Portland, Oregon), better known as Katee Sackhoff, is an American actress. She currently stars as Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on the Sci Fi Channel television program Battlestar Galactica. In 2004 she was nominated for a Saturn Award in the "Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series" category for her work in the Battlestar Galactica miniseries. In May 2006, she won the Saturn Award for the same role.

Sackhoff has had roles in films such as Halloween: Resurrection, and in television, including the series The Education of Max Bickford and guest appearances on American programs such as ER and Cold Case. She plays the female lead in the action/scifi movie The Last Sentinel, the psychological thriller White Noise: The Light, and the Lifetime movie How I Married My High School Crush.

In Battlestar Galactica, she was cast as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, a fighter pilot in the Colonial Fleet. In the original Battlestar Galactica, the Starbuck character was a man, portrayed by Dirk Benedict. Creator Ronald D. Moore's decision to change the character's gender for the contemporary remake was originally controversial with fans of the original series, but most of them have come to accept Sackhoff's take of the hot shot pilot.

Sackhoff has been cast as the evil bionic Sarah Corvus in the 2007 pilot episode of Bionic Woman. Sackhoff also recently provided the voice of a female marine in the video game Halo 3.

Sackhoff grew up in St. Helens, Oregon. Her mother Mary is an ESL (English as a Second Language) program coordinator and her father Dennis is a land developer. She graduated from Sunset High School in Beaverton in 1998. She participated in swimming and ballet until her right knee was injured, which led her to begin practicing yoga, which she continues today. Sackhoff has three tattoos: One, on the back of her neck, is a Chinese symbol ('choice'). Another, a cross, is covered with bandages whenever her shoulder is uncovered during shooting because there is no Christianity in the Battlestar Galactica universe. The third is on her right forearm and reads "bona fiscalia," meaning "public property" in legal Latin. This tattoo is visible in numerous episodes. Other elements from Sackhoff's life have been incorporated into the show: a ring she wears on her thumb has been described as Starbuck's engagement ring from Zak Adama., and the actress's decision to quit smoking between seasons two and three was mirrored by her character.